Bangkok: The Old and the New (Part 1)

It doesn't take long to realize that Bangkok is a city of contrasts. Some parts still appear like an 18th century trading port, with the early morning fishy smells and loud street vendors hawking things you didn't even know existed. Other parts look like a 23rd century city of the future, connected by silent Skytrains, giant glass shopping centers and theaters, and hulking skyscrapers. Of course, sometimes these worlds collide. Wandering in Patpong (not too far from where we are currently staying) amidst the bustling night market, go-go bars, garbage, migrant night workers in flip flops sawing pipes at 1:00 in the morning, and tons of kathoeys (ladyboys and transvestites) and their international suitors, transported us to a post-apocalyptic, sci-fi world.

Since we are still adjusting our sleep, we were able to get up super early Thursday morning and make it to Wat Phra Kaew before the crowds and tour groups set in. We took the Chao Phraya Express, Bangkok's convenient system of commuter ferries going up and down the river. New York could definitely learn something from this, and implement better public transport on its waterways.

Taking off the Pier.

Wat Phra Kaew is considered to be the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand, built by King Rama I when he moved the capital to Bangkok in 1785. One building houses the sacred Emerald Buddha; though it is actually made of jade and only 45 cm tall, it is considered the most important Buddha image in Thailand. All Buddhist monks are expected to make a pilgrimage here at least once. Neither pictures nor words can come close to describing these magical grounds, but here are a few photos anyway (more photos can be seen at our Picasa album):


Giant, half-elephant, half-demon guards the entrance.



I was asked to borrow pants before entering the complex.



Kinaree, mythological half bird, half woman.



After Wat Phra Kaew, we blazed the heat and headed to another nearby temple, Wat Pho. There we were greeted by a 46 meter long, 15 meter high reclining Buddha, plated with gold and partially studded with mother-of-pearl.



Wat Pho is also known to be the birthplace of traditional Thai massage. To this day it is the largest Thai massage school, sending graduates all over the world to twist, turn, and press in the very specific Thai sequence. Of course, after a long morning of temple hopping, we had to sample :-).